Message from the Chief Executive Deb Willcox
Over the past 18 months COVID-19 has been demanding and difficult for all of us. The continued rise in cases in NSW reaffirms what I already knew, and that is your adaptability to ensure we can continue to provide high quality safe care. Unfortunately the majority of COVID-19 cases are still in the Fairfield, Liverpool and Canterbury-Bankstown Local Government Areas. I would like to thank our staff who live in these areas for your understanding following the announcement requiring you to be tested for COVID-19 before coming to work. As transmission of the virus in workplaces remains a key concern, I am grateful to those of you who have been able to transition to working from home. The changes for staff who are able to continue working in our hospitals, such as limiting interaction and mixing of employees, mandatory mask wearing indoors, and not attending work if you have any cold-like symptoms, can be tough, but are crucial to limiting any potential risk. I would like to remind you all that healthcare workers and their household contacts and family members remain a priority for COVID-19 vaccinations in our district. It is really pleasing that currently more than 90 per cent of our staff have had either one or both doses of a COVID-19 vaccination, but we are still committed to ensuring everyone who is yet to have a vaccine can do so if they choose. I strongly encourage you to continue coming forward for the vaccine – it is the best way to protect yourself, your loved ones and our community. This is a hard time for all of us – both at home and work – and I thank everyone for your efforts and contribution to keeping our staff, patients and community safe. The results are in for our new 2021 Patient Safety Culture Survey. The results tell us
a lot about our performance, culture and values, our relationships and how we go about our work. Your feedback recognised what we are already doing well, but also areas where we can do better. It was really pleasing to see results showing NSLHD has a strong safety focus, supported by our managers and supervisors. We see that team culture is a strength and there is a strong sense of comfort to speak up. Ninety per cent of you would recommend your hospital or service to a friend or family member. This result speaks volumes about our culture. We had a high response rate of 37 per cent and I would like to thank those of you who took the time to respond to the survey – it says a lot about your commitment to our district and most of all, our patients. I always look forward to celebrating the impressive work you are doing across our district and while we navigate this challenging period, it is so important to continue to celebrate and recognise your successes. Our Quality and Improvement Awards put a spotlight on the hard work and delivery of programs and services which have made a real difference to the patients and families we care for. This year due to COVID-19 restrictions we were unable to go ahead with our award ceremony event. It is disappointing we could not celebrate these great achievements together, but I encourage you all to visit the NSLHD website – https://bit. ly/3xYpfrh – to find out more about each of our impressive winners and finalists. Congratulations to all of our winners and finalists – you are such an inspiring group of people who achieve so much every day in the work you do. Deb Willcox Chief Executive Northern Sydney Local Health District
NSLHDNEWS | ISSUE 13 | 22 JULY 2021
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